TikTok rejects China data allegations, vows EU appeal
TikTok on Friday said it planned to appeal a fine of 530 million euros ($600 million) from Ireland's data protection watchdog, insisting it had "never received a request" from Chinese authorities for European users' data.
"(TikTok) has never provided European user data to them," Christine Grahn of TikTok Europe said. "We disagree with this decision and intend to appeal it in full."
AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nahar Net
3 days ago
- Nahar Net
Think your return to the office was rough? Musk faces some big challenges
by Naharnet Newsdesk 30 May 2025, 16:32 Elon Musk is leaving Washington after a short but turbulent stint in government and getting back to his numerous businesses, each with their own set of issues for the billionaire to address. Start with his electric car company Tesla. While how much Musk accomplished in his role as President Donald Trump's chief cost-cutter is up for debate, it's clear his association with right-wing politics damaged Tesla's brand and tanked sales. Musk's social media platform X, formerly Twitter, needs to rebuild its advertising base; his aerospace company SpaceX appears to be financially promising but has seen some recent setbacks; and it's unclear if his satellite business Starlink can keep striking deals without Trump nearby. Here's a look at the state of some key Musk businesses. Tesla trouble Profits plunged 71% at Tesla in the first three months of the year right after a Chinese competitor claimed the mantle as the world's biggest electric car seller. The big question now: Will Musk's leaving Washington help lure buyers back? The answer is crucial to reviving profits because so much else is uncertain. Tesla's lineup of cars in aging and its foreign rivals have become much more competitive. They would be taking market share from Tesla even in the best of circumstances. Tesla's decision to close down factories as it retooled its best-selling Model Y, among other temporary problems, contributed to its struggles in the first quarter. But the blowback from Musk's time in Washington created doubts for some analysts. In a note to clients, JP Morgan warned of "unprecedented brand damage." And Wedbush Securities said at one point, "This is a full blown crisis." News earlier this week from Europe doesn't bode well: Sales in April plunged by half. Taxis with no driver Another big test for Musk: Will Tesla's launch of its first ever driverless taxis prove successful? Musk has been talking about robotaxis for more than a decade, but next month they may finally hit the road. He has promised to test 10 or20 robotaxis in Austin, Texas, then ramp that up to hundreds of thousands by the end of next year. "Can you go to sleep in our cars and wake up at your destination?" the billionaire asked investors in a conference call last month, then answered, "I'm confident that will be available in many cities in the U.S. by the end of this year." Investors are convinced Musk will deliver, judging by the 50% jump in Tesla stock since he made that statement. But he faces many challenges, not least is whether technically the taxis will work without hitting things — or people. Federal safety regulators last month requested data from Telsa on how the robotaxis will perform in low-visibility conditions. That request comes after an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla last year equipped with Full Self-Driving software after several accidents, including one in which a pedestrian was killed. Even if the Austin test goes off without a hitch, Musk faces another challenge: Waymo. The driverless taxi company owed by Google parent Alphabet just logged its ten-millionth trip and is now operating in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and several other cities. Ad rebound at X? After Musk bought Twitter in 2022 and opened it up to all manner of conspiracy theories, long-time advertisers began to flee. Then Musk made the situation worse when he threatened to "name and shame" them, and sued them. Now advertisers are inching back, though maybe not for a good reason. "Some big brands resumed spending on X in part to curry favor with the Trump administration, or to avoid potential retaliation by Musk," said e-marketer analyst Jasmine Enberg,. "But fear is not a sustainable motivator, and most were spending less than they were previously." She expects X's ad business will rebound this year, but still be smaller than it was before Musk bought the company. Rockets red glare It's not clear how well Musk's rocket company SpaceX is faring because the private company doesn't disclose its finances. That said, news headlines point to both troubles and triumphs. First the bad development, which came just this week with a spinning explosion of one of the company's Starship mega rockets over the Indian Ocean. That followed explosions of two other Starships earlier this year that sprayed flaming debris across the Caribbean Ocean. Undeterred, Musk is vowing several more tests soon but the stakes are high and the clock is ticking. NASA hopes to use Starship for future missions to the moon, including one next year that will attempt a lunar orbit and then send the four astronauts aboard back home. The good news is that investors who have gotten a peek at SpaceX's finances apparently are excited. A private financing round for the company a few months ago followed by a private sale of shares recently have reportedly valued SpaceX at $350 billion, a big jump from a $210 billion estimated value just a year ago. It's business, not politics — or is it? A SpaceX satellite internet subsidiary called Starlink also has been striking deals to set up in foreign countries. But it's not clear how much is the result of cold business calculation and how much is due to politics, an advantage that could disappear as Musk leaves Washington. Accompanying Trump on his trip to Saudi Arabia earlier this month, Musk announced that the country had approved Starlink service for aviation and maritime use. That followed a decision to grant approval for the service by regulators in Bangladesh, whose garment industry would be devastated by Trump's threatened 37% tariff, along with a string of other deals in India, Pakistan and Lesotho in recent months. Next up: South Africa, maybe. Earlier this month, following Trump's Oval Office dressing down of that country's president, regulators in the country loosened a rule in a way that could help Starlink win a foothold in the country. Musk had called the rule requiring Black partial ownership of any new foreign venture "openly racist." The country denies that politics influenced its decision.
Nahar Net
3 days ago
- Nahar Net
Champions League title has remained out of reach for PSG but that could change
by Naharnet Newsdesk 30 May 2025, 16:37 Billions of dollars have been spent. Some of the world's greatest players have come and gone. But the Champions League title has remained agonizingly out of reach for Paris Saint-Germain. That could be about to change. The Qatari-owned team is one game away from European club soccer's most prestigious prize, with Inter Milan standing in the way in Saturday's final in Munich. PSG is the favorite, with one of the most exciting teams in Europe, having produced thrilling performances to beat Manchester City and Liverpool on the way to the final. It feels like its time has finally come. But in Inter it faces a wily opponent that is in its second final in three seasons and cut down a rampant Barcelona in an epic semifinal - winning 7-6 on aggregate. The warning signs are there for PSG. A shift in strategy PSG's run to the final has justified a shift in direction that saw it move away from the bling culture of superstar signings to focus more on young French talent. Owned by Qatar Sports Investments since 2011, PSG has signed some of the biggest names in soccer, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi without ever getting its hands on the trophy it craves most of all. But the team has yet to win European club soccer's biggest prize, the Champions League. Messi, Neymar and Mbappe have all gone in recent years and without those iconic figures PSG looks a more complete team than ever. But that has still come at some cost. Players like Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia were signed for an estimated $240 million combined and they are just part of a squad that has been assembled at a spectacular expense. Inter has been savvy in the market - signing older players and picking up free agents to put together a team that has reached two Champions League finals in three years — losing to Man City in 2023 — and one Italian title in that time. Near misses This isn't the first time PSG has got to within touching distance of the Champions League. It was a losing finalist in 2020 - beaten 1-0 by Bayern Munich. It was a semifinalist last year and also in 2021. But back-to-back years of elimination in the round of 16 in 2022 and '23 preceded the decision by president Nasser Al Khelaifi to change his transfer strategy. Three-time winner Inter has come closer in recent years, including the 1-0 final defeat to City. This year's final is only the second time since 2011 the Italian club has advanced beyond the round of 16. Inter last won the Champions League in 2010 under Jose Mourinho. Star players Dembele has been one of the outstanding players in Europe this season with 30 goals in all competitions for PSG, including a run of 24 in 18 games from December to March. Kvaratskhelia was signed from Napoli in January and sparked a turnaround in PSG's fortunes in the Champions League when it looked in danger of being eliminated at the league stage. The Georgian forward was long considered one of the brightest talents in Europe before making the move and has added another dimension to an-already thrilling PSG attack. Midfielders Vitinha and Joao Neves are the engine room - hungrily hunting down the ball when out of possession and then springing attacks with the speed of their passing. World Cup winner Lautaro Martinez is Inter's standout player and became the club all-time leading scorer in the Champions League this season. Defender Denzel Dumfries played a huge role in beating Barcelona with two goals in the first leg at the Nou Camp and goalkeeper Yann Sommer pulled off a string of saves to keep Inter in the tie in the second leg. The coaches A Champions League winner with Barcelona in 2015, Luis Enrique has also won 12 major titles in spells with the Catalan club and now PSG. If French champion PSG triumphs on Saturday he would become the seventh coach to win the Champions League or European Cup with two different teams. The list includes the likes of Carlo Ancelotti, Pep Guardiola and Mourinho. Simone Inzaghi is hoping to win his first Champions League title at the second time of asking after defeat to City two years ago. Then, as now, Inter was the underdog, but came close to upsetting Guardiola's all-conquering City. Inzaghi cannot match Enrique's trophy count, but has impressed at Inter where he won the Italian title last year and has also won two Italian Cups. Inter finished runner-up this season and missed out on back-to-back titles Inzaghi also won the Italian Cup with former club Lazio.
LBCI
4 days ago
- LBCI
Imported fruits make a comeback in Syria amid economic strain
After decades of poverty and isolation under the Assad dynasty, imported fruits like pineapples, kiwis, and mangoes are available again in Syria's bustling markets. Fruits that were once designated luxury items, meaning they were accessible only to Syria's wealthiest, are now as common as potatoes or onions, cooking staples for many of the country's population. "We used to smuggle them in," said 46-year-old fruit vendor Marwan Abu Hayla with a big smile as he displayed his produce at Damascus' Shaalan market. Grocers used to face fines and even imprisonment for importing exotic fruits. But now "we do not hide pineapples anymore -- we can put them on display," Abu Hayla told AFP, adding: "The era of pineapple-phobia is over." One kilogram of pineapple used to cost around 300,000 Syrian pounds (around $23) before an Islamist-led offensive ousted leader Bashar al-Assad in December after nearly 14 years of civil war. That has now plummeted to a much sweeter price of around 40,000 pounds, about $4. "We used to smuggle (the fruit) with the help of taxi drivers -- just like petrol and diesel," Abu Hayla said of other commodities that Syrians used to bring in illicitly from neighboring Lebanon when supplies were scarce under Assad. Now "pineapples are like potatoes and onions," he added, as potential customers eyed the ripe fruit. Buyers and sellers linked the fruits' newfound presence to developments, including the free availability of the U.S. dollar since Assad's ousting. Trading in the currency was previously punishable by law. Other signs of change include new cars on the streets and more abundant fuel supplies. The late Syrian president Hafez al-Assad imposed heavy state control over the economic system, which isolated the country from global trade. His son and successor, Bashar, kept up the system to maintain the clan's iron-fisted rule until he was overthrown in December. Fruit seller Ahmed al-Hareth, 45, said tropical fruits -- even bananas -- used to cost the equivalent of a public employee's monthly salary. Customs authorities and security forces would raid stores, further fuelling a limited black-market fruit trade. Medical student Nour Abed al-Jabbar, 24, said she "used to see tropical fruit on screens more often than in markets." However, many people still struggle to buy the fruit in a country whose economy has been ravaged by years of conflict and sanctions and where 90 percent of the people live in poverty. Housewife Ilham Amin, 50, said she had noticed grocery stores becoming more colorful, which "tempts customers to buy." But she steers her children away from the tantalizing new fruit as she cannot afford it. "Living conditions are tough, and pineapple is a luxury for a family like ours," she said. AFP
